


Part of My Heart

by n_lotely



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Kitsune, Kitsune Iwaizumi Hajime, M/M, Mild Gore, Minor Violence, Yokai Hunter Oikawa Tooru, Yôkai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27632183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n_lotely/pseuds/n_lotely
Summary: Yokai Hunter Oikawa Tooru stumbles across an injured Kitsune who went by the name of Hajime.He’s always known Kitsunes were beautiful, but to him, Hajime was breathtaking.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Kudos: 34





	Part of My Heart

Oikawa Tooru was praised as one of the best yokai hunters in the region, maybe in all of Japan. He was known for being able to yield his weapons so skillfully that no yokai stood a chance once he got serious. He was also good at dealing with all kinds of violent yokai. Those were the jobs he usually took, he rarely ever took jobs that hunted yokai for sport.

He was handsome, tall and rich. It was a known fact that he was still single despite all that. When asked, he’d usually give a few different answers. He could say that he doesn’t want to put his lover at risk, or he’d say that he wouldn’t be able to give his lover everything she could want. Some people theorize that he does have a secret lover.

No, the truth was, he just hasn’t found anyone yet.

He was a young man with women tripping over their feet for him, but he did not hold any interest for them. As far as he was concerned, his closest companion was his blade.

Oikawa had recently taken a job in the mountains to slay a Hihi yokai that had been slaughtering too many wildlife that graze in the plateau areas. It had also apparently killed and eaten one of the farmers, so it was becoming a bit of a problem. 

He’d arrived at the mountain at dawn and occasionally went around searching for it, but at night he got serious. He’d keep watch for every single movement. He heard a shriek from a deer not too far away and began running. 

By the time he got there, a baby deer was dead on it’s side and two yokai were fighting over it. The Hihi and a kitsune. It appeared the kitsune had already been injured by the other yokai, or by something else, but Oikawa took pity on it.

Kitsune were usually very intelligent, but maybe this one had just been in a bad state. They were rarely ever found in areas like this. He gave a quick whistle and called the attention of the two yokai. The next few moments were a blur as Oikawa had moved at a great speed to behead the Hihi.

Once it was dead and it’s body had begun fading, he turned to the kitsune and examined it. It appeared to be male, with spiky hair and sharp green eyes. It was very clearly injured from it’s legs to its arms, maybe more underneath the tattered clothes it was wearing.

Slowly, Oikawa set down his blade and approached. The kitsune hissed at him, baring all 9 of its tails to try and intimidate him. 

“I’m here to help.” Oikawa reassured, “Can you understand me?”

The kitsune gave him a glare, but nodded.

Oikawa smiled and approached more, but the kitsune hissed at him once again.

“Don’t you dare touch me.” It warned angrily, now baring its teeth.

“You’re hurt.” Oikawa pointed out casually.

“You think I don’t see that?” 

Oikawa just sighed and shook his head, “Come here, let me help. It will just be quick.”

The kitsune scrunched its nose suspiciously, “What if you’re just going to slay me like you did to that other yokai?”

Oikawa made a face, but responded a moment later, “That other yokai was hurting people, and it wasn’t really sentient. On the other hand, we’re holding a conversation right now, you’re injured and you haven’t killed me yet.”

The yokai scoffed and mumbled something under its breath.

Oikawa began reaching behind him and it alarmed the kitsune but he quickly brought his forward to show a bottle of medicine and bandages. “I just want to help. I may be a yokai hunter but as much as possible, I don’t hurt those that just want to coexist with humans. I’ve never slain a kitsune before, I won’t hurt you.”

They are a bit closer now, and Oikawa can see more features of the kitsune. Its shorter than him, excluding the ears. Speaking of those, they were a bright cream color with red highlights and they matched with his tails, they stood out greatly against the kitsune’s darker hair and skin color. Despite not being a beautiful woman, Oikawa still finds himself entranced by the kitsune, a part of him worries if it was because of a spell.

He doesn’t bother trying to break free though.

After a few more moments of tense silence, the kitsune approaches him and sticks out its arm. It has large gashes that seemed to have already clotted. Oikawa gently took the limb and sighed. “I think we need to wash these first.”

The kitsune made a distasteful expression, but grumbled out, “There’s a stream not too far from here.”

“Perfect!” Oikawa exclaims, “Come then. It’ll also be a good place to clean my sword.”

The kitsune did not look happy about that statement, but allowed Oikawa to follow it anyway. They eventually arrived at a stream with a small waterfall, the water looked incredibly clean and Oikawa admired it for just a moment.

He watched the kitsune leap over to the edge of the stream and began washing the wounds itself. It seemed to only wash the wound on its arm before presenting it back to Oikawa.

As the hunter was applying medicine, he decided to ask, “Do you have a name?”

The kitsune was still glaring at him, but this close, all Oikawa could think of was how gorgeous the other’s eyes were. They were a beautiful shade of green that glimmered with mystery and magic.

“Hajime.” The kitsune introduces, “You can call me that.” It— no, he says, “Now tell me your name.”

“Oikawa Tooru.” The hunter introduces easily with a charming smile as he begins wrapping the bandages. “I’m surprised we’ve never met before, I’ve been to this mountain a few times already.”

The yokai does not seem impressed with the fact that Oikawa thinks that because they’re exchanged names, he can freely talk about whatever. Although Hajime does prefer his silence, it had been a while since he had a proper conversation.

“I don’t show myself very often.” Hajime explains, “You caught me at a bad time.”

Oikawa hums, “Is that so?” He says teasingly, “Okay, do you have more wounds?”

With a huff, Hajime returns to the stream and begins washing away more of his dried blood, then walks back to Oikawa to get himself patched up. It's a rather intimate situation and Hajime is slowly lowering his defense as Oikawa gently wraps bandages around him.

“How’d you get so hurt anyway?” Oikawa asks curiously, “Aren’t kitsunes supposed to be powerful? There’s no way that Hihi did so much damage.”

Hajime gave another huff and looked away. Oikawa was just staring at him expectantly.

“Another hunter tried to take me.” Hajime admits sourly, “He failed and eventually left after he couldn’t find me anymore.”

When the kitsune looks back at Oikawa, he sees that the other is staring at him with this expression. Hajime had rarely seen it and he can barely even pinpoint the emotion behind it. Oikawa’s eyebrows are knitted angrily but his eyes are moist, and he’s frowning.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.” Oikawa says sullenly, “I personally despise hunters that try to kill yokai for no reason other than entertainment.”

“And how do you know I haven’t hurt anyone?” Hajime asks immediately, “Sure, most kitsunes try to live peaceful and sometimes a little mischievous lives, but how do you know I haven’t killed anyone? Not all yokai are the same.”

Oikawa falls silent at that, but he continues wrapping the bandage around Hajime’s waist.

“Well, I usually have very good intuition—“

“Reasoning like that will get you killed.” Hajime interrupts rudely, watching as Oikawa slowly lifts his gaze up.

“I’ll have you know I’m one of the most skillful hunters in Japan!” Oikawa exclaims boastfully, and Hajime just rolls his eyes.

“Then why are you helping me, oh great hunter? Instead of cutting my head off.” Hajime hisses, but he also winces when he feels the pain in his thighs throbbing.

“Because the world just needs a little more compassion.” Oikawa blurts out right after, “I don’t get any bad energy from you, I trust that you haven’t intentionally harmed any humans, at least not in this area. I would’ve heard about it.” Oikawa continues on, and Hajime is forced to listen. “You’re already letting me help you anyway, if you really didn’t want this, then you would’ve left.”

Hajime has to give him that. “I do not understand you, Oikawa Tooru.”

Oikawa just smiles.  
  


* * *

The next time Oikawa returns to the mountain, it’s for roughly the same reason. Another yokai seems to be terrorizing livestock, but luckily no human was hurt yet. This time it’s a large nomori, a snake like yokai with legs that kills its prey like a boa constrictor. 

He spots its tail almost immediately and cuts it open. Some of the blood spills onto him just as half digested cows and pigs are spewed out along with the innards of the yokai. 

He cannot do anything about the bodies, so he leaves them whilst he returns to the stream to clean up. 

As he’s leaving he notices someone staring at him from up in the trees.

He gives a wave and Hajime doesn’t bother greeting back.

Oikawa goes on to a few more other jobs, some in more rural areas and he doesn’t visit the mountain for a while. A part of him wonders how Hajime is doing.

When Oikawa does return, it’s to slay a Shunobon. It has not eaten any livestock but it’s been killing travelers and leaving their bodies rotting. Oikawa has faced a few of them before, and they’ve always been a bit of a hassle, so he brings a few extra weapons.

Shunobons are human sized creatures, they scare the life out of people by revealing their giant, monstrous heads when they least expect it. The reason they’re so hard to slay is that their heads are so thick and take up so much space, it’s hard to get to the actual vulnerable spots.

Oikawa finds himself again in a similar situation, and the Shunobon does not seem happy that Oikawa didn’t fall over from shock when it revealed itself and began attacking. It’d broken down Oikawa’s sword and swatted away his other weapons. It really wasn’t giving in until it saw Oikawa flailing uselessly on the floor.

The hunter found himself pinned with the yokai approaching, he began reaching again for another weapon until something intervened.

Covered in flames and with sparks dancing around, a kitsune stepped between them, tails flaring aggressively. The two yokais pounced and after a fair share of shrieks and wild flames, the Shunobon fell after being struck by yet another bolt of lighting from the kitsune’s hands.

The victor turned to face Oikawa, and gave an unimpressed look.

“Hey! Shunobons are just really bothersome sometimes!” Oikawa argues the moment he recognizes the kitsune in front of him. “With their giant heads going all  _ boom boom boom _ .”

Hajime gives him a blank stare before he shakes his head, “You don’t have to try and lick the wounds in your pride, a thank you will be enough.”

Oikawa stares back at the kitsune, who seems to be looking better compared to the last time they interacted. 

“Why did you even save me?” Oikawa decides to ask.

Hajime gives a vague shrug, “You helped me last time, if it weren’t for you then my wounds wouldn’t have healed so quickly. This was a thank you.”

Oikawa’s eyes widen slightly as he gets up from the floor. “So by that logic, I shouldn’t have to thank you because you were saying thank you first.”

It’s no surprise that the kitsune does not look impressed. “You are so ungrateful.” He clicks his tongue, shaking his head and preparing to leave.

“Wait no!” Oikawa calls, “I’m kidding!” He laughs lightheartedly and the sound stuns Hajime slightly, “Thank you for that. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you didn’t come through.”

Hajime huffs out another breath and nods, “Let it be known that while I’m around here, I will help keep you safe. In return, if I ever get injured, you must heal me.”

“You make me sound like some sort of healer, Hajime.” Oikawa points out with a giggle. He brushes his hair back, noting how it had some dirt in it now.

“You get what I mean. Now do you agree to that or not?” Hajime asks.

“Of course! It’s an excellent proposition!” Oikawa chirps, and Hajime gives a small smile. He walks over to Oikawa and plucks a leaf out of his hair, then runs off.

That was the start of their bizarre friendship.

Everytime Oikawa came up to the mountain, he’d always see Hajime hanging around. Whenever he had a bit of a struggle, Hajime wouldn’t hesitate to jump in. On some days, he has to patch Hajime up again, and slowly the kitsune begins to relax more whenever Oikawa touches him.

The hunter goes up another peg in their relationship and starts visiting the mountain solely for Hajime. It surprises the kitsune greatly when Oikawa comes bearing a basket of fruits and food for Hajime to try. The offerings give Hajime a lot of energy, and he eventually returns the favor by presenting gifts to Oikawa from the forest, such as rare flowers and occasionally special artifacts.

There was a moment in time when Oikawa didn’t visit the mountain for a few days. This gives time for Hajime to gather his thoughts. He realizes he misses Oikawa, he misses their banter even though it’d only been a few days.

He finds himself thinking about Oikawa almost constantly, and he’s always on the lookout for when the hunter may return.

And when the brunette finally does return with more gifts, Hajime does not admit it. Oikawa doesn’t seem to mind though, because he happily chats with Hajime about his short journey to a nearby town for a job, and Hajime listens the entire time.

“You are very passionate about protecting people, Oikawa Tooru.” Hajime comments in the middle of Oikawa’s tale about him slaying a yokai terrorizing a group of people even if he wasn’t paid to do it.

“You can just call me Tooru.” Oikawa says with a gentle smile.

Hajime returns the smile.

* * *

Once again, their relationship shifts. Instead of Hajime just watching Oikawa from above and intervening when he has too, he begins fighting alongside Oikawa. He understands why Oikawa has to slay these other yokai, and it is a noble reason that Hajime wishes to live by as well.

“We have to go down to the foot of the mountain this time.” Oikawa tells Hajime, “I came up here to ask if you still wanted to assist me with this.”

Hajime nods, “Yeah, that’s fine. What’s the issue this time?”

Oikawa moved a hand around to adjust his weapons in preparation, “An iso onna has been luring men out of the village to kill them in the river bank. Several bodies have been found drained of their blood.” 

Hajime makes a distasteful face and Oikawa nods sullenly in agreement. “Come on then, it’d be best if we kill it before it hurt anyone else.”

They make their way down the mountain, Hajime leaps from tree to tree and waits whenever Oikawa lags behind. The small gesture makes Oikawa feel rather pleasant. The reach the foot of the mountain and spot the iso onna sitting on a rock, singing a song that echoes through the cove.

Hajime hangs back, waiting for Oikawa to take the first move. So the hunter does, once he gets close enough, he lunges for the yokai and Hajime does so as well. The iso onna spins around and shrieks, the sound piercing Oikawa’s ears painfully and his swing is off, allowing the yokai to jump out of the way.

She lands into the water and shrieks again, Hajime runs over to send a bolt of lightning into the water. It seems to be effective in stunning her, but she looks equally surprised to see that a kitsune is fighting against her.

“What are you doing?!” The iso onna screams at him, “You’re fighting your own kind? For what reason?” Her voice is amplified and sounds like a terrified woman, shrouded in anger and grief. Neither Oikawa nor Hajime know if she’s acting it up or she truly is feeling so betrayed by the situation.

“You’re harming humans.” Hajime hisses, tails flaring out threateningly.

“This is not their world.” She shrieks, “It is ours!”

“No!” Hajime retaliates, “We are meant to coexist with the humans, they will not hurt us if you don’t hurt them!”

The iso onna barrels at him, screaming, “Traitor! You wretched beast! Siding with the humans!” She tackles him into the water, snapping her jaws at him and Hajime swats her away with his tail. A second later, she releases a gasp, turning her head down to see a blade pierced through her. The blade twists and Oikawa swings it upwards, cutting her upper body in half.

She falls away, her body fading as she flows down the river. Oikawa is panting slightly, but he reaches a hand out to help Hajime get up.

“Are you okay?” Oikawa asks, concern laced in his voice and in his expression. He leans closer to Hajime and touches his cheek affectionately. Hajime leans into it slightly and nods.

“Thank you.” He mumbled gently, his own hands pressing against Tooru’s.

The hunter smiles and they leave the water, sitting alongside the shoreline to wait to dry off. They’re silent for a while, but Hajime can see that Oikawa wants to say something.

“I understand that not all yokais are good.” Hajime decides to speak first, “I want a world where yokai and humans can coexist peacefully, but there will always be those that wish to defy and cause chaos.” He flicks his tails while at the same time stroking one of them in his arms. “Human or yokai, if all they wish to do is harm others then I have no problem getting rid of them.”

“I see.” Is Oikawa’s quiet response. “You seemed to have read my mind, I was worried for you.”

Hajime nods and is about to say something else, but Oikawa cuts him off.

“Can you tell what else I am thinking of?”

Hajime stares at him curiously, but he shakes his head.

“I was thinking about how gorgeous you are.” 

That definitely caught Hajime off guard. Oikawa turns to look at him and laughs.

“It’s funny, right? You can laugh.” The hunter gives a forced smile, and Hajime takes a few more moments to gather his thoughts.

“No— I wouldn’t laugh at you for that.” Hajime mumbles, looking away when he says, “It’d be hypocritical if I did.”

“Oh.” Is Oikawa’s dull reply, but a few seconds pass and he goes, “Wait _huh_.”

Hajime, unfortunately, is too flustered to answer. No matter, Oikawa still turns towards him completely and grabs his hands, Hajime does not flinch away. He knows Oikawa will never hurt him. He trusts him with his life and he hopes Oikawa feels the same way.

“You think I’m gorgeous?” Oikawa asks excitedly, and he looks so star eyed and amazed and so unlike the image Hajime had in his head. He looks genuinely amazed and not all smug.

“Yes.” Hajime breathes out softly, and Oikawa leans in closer. 

They brush their lips together but Hajime shoves him away. When he looks back at the brunette, he simply looks heart broken.

“Wait— We can’t—“

“Why?” Oikawa asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Because I don’t want to hurt you!” Hajime blurts, leaving Oikawa even more confused. So he has to explain, “I’m— I like you, you make my heart beat so fast it feels like I’ll explode, if you kissed me,” Hajime clears his throat in an effort to regain himself, “I might’ve burned you.”

Oikawa blinks a few times, still confused but Hajime sees the exact moment he understands, as his eyes turn tender and loving. So slower this time, Oikawa leans closer to hold Hajime’s cheek, pressing their lips together.

Hajime tries to relax, letting Oikawa keep themselves locked. They stay for a few seconds, then Oikawa backs off. Hajime leans in closer this time, and Oikawa meets him halfway.

Hajime can feel it. It’s as if a part of his heart had just transferred into Oikawa. He knows it’s safe there.

In all the years of Hajime’s existence, he’s only felt love once before. With another kitsune went missing one day. He’s suspected several things, he’s waited for his lover, but he knows that he is long gone. He misses the feeling of love, the way it flutters in his chest and makes him feel so safe and satisfied. It’s as if every fibre of his being wants to love Oikawa, and he can’t blame them.

Weeks turn into months, Oikawa comes up at least six times a week, with or without a basket of food. They kiss, they hold each other closer and closer. They tell stories, they share their hearts with each other.

One day Oikawa does not come up to the mountain, which is bizarre on it’s own already. Usually Oikawa tells Hajime if he won’t come up the mountain for a while, usually if he has a job somewhere else. Nonetheless, Hajime gives his lover the benefit of the doubt and assumes that Oikawa was maybe given a job on a short notice after he left the mountain.

Days pass, and Oikawa doesn’t come back. Hajime begins to get worried. He tries not to let his thoughts consume him. He tries not to think of the possibility that he will be abandoned again after giving the remains of his heart to someone he trusted.

By the end of the week, Hajime decides to leave the mountain. He disguises himself as a human and goes down the mountain and into the village. No one seems to be suspicious of him so he looks around curiously. The sun was setting and Hajime had just spent the whole day waiting for Oikawa to come back.

He finds a place filled with lights and what seems to be music and chatter, so he approaches and looks through the window. There are people celebrating and drinking, dancing around like there’s no tomorrow. He scrunches his nose and leaves them, but as he’s passing by the building he notices a group at the side. They're gathered around a table and talking much more quietly.

Even disguised as a human, Hajime picks up their conversation with his amped up hearing.

“Oh, come now, Oikawa! You’ve really got to get yourself a lover before that charm of yours runs out!”

Oikawa? 

_ Tooru? _

“Please, please, not so loud!” Oikawa’s voice reaches his ears, “Firstly, my charm will never run out, and secondly, I already told you!”

“Oh, what? About that kitsune of yours?” Another voice slurs, it makes Hajime wince a little. “You’ve always had a weak spot for the shiny ones, don’tcha?”

The conversation pauses, so Hajime inches closer.

“Well you can’t live your whole life with that thing! It makes for a pretty prize but a woman is just different!” A third voice points out, and at this point Hajime feels a little uneasy.

“I told you! I don’t need—“

“C’mon, Oikawa! You really can’t settle for a kitsune! Is it really that pretty?”

Silence, and then.

“ _ Ethereal _ , actually.”

The statement makes Hajime’s heart race so fast, he isn’t sure what exactly is the cause.

“No wonder you keep feeding it huh, really want to keep it looking good.” One of the voices says, and Hajime thinks he hears Oikawa say something softly, but he doesn’t catch it.

“Well, whenever you get sick of it, I’d like to take it for myself!” Another one of the voices calls out again, “I haven’t seen a kitsune in quite a while! Don’t be so selfish, Oikawa!”

The group erupts into laughter, probably from drinking so much and the conversation about Hajime stops there, they start talking about other things instead. Hajime glances up again and sees Oikawa for a moment, and he’s pressed near another person, a hunter as well. He’s smiling widely, face flushed from the alcohol and his hair is messed up in the most adorable way.

Hajime wants to go up to him and bring him home.

Then he remembers that the mountain is not Oikawa’s home.

The fact makes his heart sink. He takes a few steps back and eventually leaves the area entirely, turning into a fox when he reaches the forest so he can climb up the mountain easier. He finds himself a little structure to hide in, and stays as a fox for the rest of the night because he cannot cry as much in this form.

* * *

Oikawa still does not come back for three more days. The only silver lining Hajime sees is that Oikawa is alive. He spends the three days lingering in the mountains in his fox form, occasionally spending his time with some other peaceful yokai. Some of the smaller ones drift to Hajime since he is warm, and they cuddle close so Hajime lets them. 

He remembers falling asleep at night, holding a handful of kodama in his tails. When he wakes up, it’s to Oikawa's voice calling out for him. He doesn’t bother moving for a bit, still too sleepy to get up. 

Eventually, Oikawa’s voice gets close enough, “Oh! Hajime, is that you?”

Hajime slowly opens his eye, tilting it towards the direction of the voice. Sure enough, Oikawa is standing there with a basket. The kodama in his tails awaken and they scatter off, their hands bobbing as they drift away. Oikawa sits down and holds out the basket.

“Look! I brought some nice stuff. I’ve got fruits, some bread, I also managed to get some agedashi tofu!” Oikawa cheers excitedly. Hajime makes a huffing noise and turns his head away.

“Hajime?” Oikawa calls, clearly confused. “What’s wrong? Are you stuck like that?” Hajime can’t see him, but Oikawa looks incredibly conflicted. “Or… are you not Hajime at all? Am I talking to a fox? Wait, but you would’ve run away by now?”

Hajime growls, turning towards Oikawa again and shifting into his kitsune form, eyebrows furrowed and tails frizzy with agitation.

“Oh! Hajime! So I was right!” Oikawa giggles, “Come on! I hurried up the mountain so that the tofu wouldn’t get too cold! Let’s—“

“Shut up.”

The harshness of the tone makes Oikawa stop speaking.

“Pardon?” Oikawa asks gently.

“Where were you?” Hajime decides to ask, “You were gone for almost two weeks, and then you come back and pretend like nothing happened? At least explain yourself, Oikawa!”

Oikawa reels back in surprise, but he quickly regains his posture. “I was just— really happy to see you, Hajime! I wanted us to eat and spend some time together, then I was gonna tell you!”

“Tell me  _ now _ .” Hajime demands, and Oikawa inches back because he can feel the heat radiating off of the kitsune.

“I was sent on a mission far away with a group of hunters.” Oikawa explains, using his hands to show some emphasis, “It wasn’t a difficult mission but the travel was a bit of a hassle. I only got back yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” Hajime hisses, “ _ Yesterday?  _ So how can you explain how I saw you in town  _ three days ago _ ?”

Oikawa’s eyes widen and that immediately gives away any chance of him continuing with his lie. So instead, he asks, “You went into town?”

Then he stands up, and it’s Hajime’s turn to take a step back.

“You could’ve been seen! What if they took you? What if they hurt you?” He begins reaching a hand out for Hajime, but the kitsune moves back even further.

“Don’t pretend like you care!” Hajime shrieks, flaring his tail out. “You’re just worried that they’ll take your pretty little prize away! You don’t actually care about me!” 

Oikawa furrows his eyebrows more and gives a stiff laugh, “Hajime, what are you talking about, I love—“

“No! You don’t!” Hajime cries out painfully, “You tricked me! You used these— these tricks, made me think you loved me, but you didn’t! Good for you though! It worked! It worked so well—“ Hajime takes in a sharp breath, and his voice shakes when he speaks again. “You have my heart, Oikawa Tooru. What are you gonna do now? Sell it? Flaunt it to your friends? How long would it be until you drug this food you bring me and then chain me down and bring me to the village?”

Oikawa is staring at him, partially in disbelief, mostly in shock. In all the time he knew Hajime, he’d picked up that the kitsune had a bit of a small temper, but most of the time he was so gentle and caring. He’d never seen him blow up like this.

“Hajime, let me—“

“ _ No! _ I’ve had enough!” Hajime screams, tails swirling around and sending flecks of fire around. “You evil, evil human. You really have the audacity to label  _ us  _ as the tricksters.” 

Before Oikawa can speak again, Hajime runs away. He moves at his top speed, navigating expertly through the trees. He goes down the other side of the mountain and escapes. He goes through the forest, running as far as his legs would take him. He knows there is no way that Oikawa will follow him.

He hates it. Even as he’s running the other way, his heart wants him to turn around and return to his other half. He resents it. He wants it to stop. 

Hajime knows it’s better that he left. If he’d stayed, then both of them would get hurt. Hajime might’ve burned Oikawa if he stayed.

It’s better this way.

He finds himself in unfamiliar territory. The area has different kinds of trees than his forest, they’re much thicker, and he hasn’t seen any wildlife yet. He decides to shift into a fox and find shelter under some rocks. He curls up, warming up his spot with his own body heat and rests. He feels exhausted.

* * *

Time passes. Hajime tries to forget.

It isn’t very long, maybe two weeks or so, but Hajime can still feel Oikawa’s lingering touches, even if it's been almost a month since they’ve held each other. He finds himself longing for it, but he tries to keep himself under control.

He really hates it. It really feels as if his heart has been displaced from his own chest, and Oikawa is the one who’s holding onto it. He wishes the hunter would just crush it and end his misery, that’s what the hunter should’ve done in the first place.

As he’s trotting through the forest, he stumbles across a lake and decides to sit by it, dipping his feet into the water. It’s cold and refreshing and he considers moving further in the water, but is stopped when he sees something standing in front of him. On the water.

It’s a kirin.

The lake suddenly feels sacred. Kirins have always been regarded as some of the most peaceful yokai, some humans even depict them as gods.

It’s staring at him curiously, then it speaks, “What are you doing here?”

Hajime clears his throat and answers, “I’m just relaxing.”

“No.” The kirin says, even though it doesn’t open it’s mouth. “You are troubled. You long to go somewhere, to someone.”

Hajime shakes his head sadly, “I can’t. I can’t go back.”

“Why is that?” The kirin steps closer and leans its head down. “Your heart wishes to be somewhere else, to the North. It wishes to be complete.” It hums peacefully, and Hajime tilts his head up to look into its eyes.

“Go back, young one. I assure you, all will be sound.” The kirin rumbles, and it begins stepping away. “You have a piece of each other. Find your way back to your lover.” And then it trots away, barely disturbing the water it levitates on.

Hajime lingers for a little longer, then finally gets up. He holds his head up high and feels his heart flare in excitement. He will return to Oikawa and hear him out, and see if the human is still worth loving.

No. He is always worth loving. Hajime just needs to see if Oikawa will give his love in return.

His heart tugs him forward, and he begins his journey back. He somehow makes it back to his home mountain within half a day, and immediately he is scouring the area for Oikawa. He calls out for him, sniffing the air and using some magic to try and sense him. 

“ _ Hajime _ !” A voice cries out, and Iwaizumi’s ear twitches in its direction. He begins running towards it. Once he gets there, he sees two other kitsune cornering Oikawa. It seems Oikawa’s blade has been melted, and he’s standing against a wall. He’s still fighting, despite it all.

It makes Hajime furious to see his other half like that. He bursts forward and tackles one of the other kitsune. Then jumps off and stands between them and Oikawa. He releases a vicious hiss, flaring his tail and summoning some magic. The other kitsune group together and snarl at him. They’re both smaller and younger than him. It seemed they came to try and take his territory since he was gone.

“Get out!” Hajime roars, electricity sparking from his tail. They both hiss at him and then skip away, hopefully out of the forest as well. Once he calms down, he turns around to greet Oikawa but he’s immediately wrapped into a hug.

Hajime takes a moment, but then hugs back. Oikawa eases into him, “Hajime. Hajime. I’m sorry. You really— I thought— you saved me— I didn’t—“

The kitsune moved a hand to gently stroke Oikawa’s back, “Shh, it’s okay. I’m not leaving again, but you need to talk.”

Oikawa nods. They move to take a seat on a clearing by a cliffside and Oikawa calms down.

“I thought you left forever.” Oikawa says sadly, “My heart hurt everyday, it felt like it was being pulled apart every time I went up the mountain and you weren’t here.” He says, rubbing his own arms absently. “I couldn’t feel you. I’m so sorry. Hajime, you really misunderstood. I can explain.”

“Please,” Hajime mumbles, “Do so.”

“I did get sent on a job in a faraway town. The reason I came back and didn’t visit you right away is that I needed to think.” Oikawa explains softly, “It’s a little lame, but that night, my peers really made me think about my love life.”

Hajime gulps slightly.

“And I came to a conclusion, Hajime.” Oikawa looks up at him, determination in his features. “I love you more than I will love anything else.”

“Shit.” Hajime swears, and looks away, flustered.

“But there’s an issue… Humans and Yokai cannot be together.” Oikawa adds, and it dampens Hajime’s mood slightly. “So I want to make a proposition to you…”

“What is it?” Hajime asks curiously.

“It’s selfish, I know, but I’ve heard stories of kitsune disguising themselves as humans and living their lives as humans. I was wondering if you could do that.” Oikawa says slowly, making small hand movements. “You wouldn’t have to stay human forever. We can always come up here so you can drop the disguise. We could move somewhere far away, live in a small house so you don’t have to disguise yourself all the time. I want to take care of you, I want to live with you, I—“

Hajime cuts him off with a kiss. It’s chaste but it startles Oikawa into silence once again.

“I understand, Tooru.” Hajime says softly, “And I’d love to.”

Oikawa’s eyes widen, “Are you serious?”

“It’s not as if I have anything to do here.” Hajime shrugs, “I’d rather spend my days with you.” He pulls Oikawa closer and presses their foreheads together, and at the same time he presses his hand against the other’s chest.

“You hold part of my heart, and I know now that I hold part of yours.” He whispers, and Oikawa is staring at him in such amazement it makes his heart flutter. “I want to be with you, until we die.”

“That’s a little morbid.” Oikawa points out, and Hajime just lets out a chuckle.

By the time the sun sets, Hajime and Oikawa leave the mountain hand in hand. Hajime’s tails and ears hidden away. This was the start of their new life, a beautiful one at that.

**Author's Note:**

> Yay fluff


End file.
